In order to boost the Lebanese startup scene, the United Kingdom, in collaboration with Lebanon's central bank, the Banque du Liban (BDL), has launched the UK Lebanon Tech Hub, a two-year international initiative looking to support entrepreneurship and the SME landscape, while stimulating the local economy. The tech hub will act as an accelerator and mentoring hub for local startups, and falls under the BDL's Circular 331, a larger program announced in August 2013, aiming to help boost Lebanese startups by injecting some US$400m in equity funding. In an inaugural event that occurred last Thursday, the UK Lebanon Tech Hub …

The UK government announced a US$14.6 million research fund to look into opportunities in digital currencies. Publishing the results of the five month consultation on the future of digital currencies, the government outlined a series of recommendations and the next few steps on their approach to the emerging sector. “The government is launching a new research initiative which will bring together the Research Councils, Alan Turing Institute and Digital Catapult with industry in order to address the research opportunities and challenges for digital currency technology, and will increase research funding in this area by £10 million to support this.” As …

As Bitcoin awareness grows across the globe, the Cointelegraph Media Group launches its regional publications in a number of key countries. This week marks the launch of our South African and Slovenian publications with the UK and Italy to follow soon. South Africa CT as the leading cryptocurrency media publication is firmly establishing itself on the African continent. “Cointelegraph South Africa wants to be first in, bringing the latest developments to the world as this still largely unknown Bitcoin/ Blockchain technology starts to become more mainstream,” says Jaques Coetsee, co-founder of Bitmagnet and head of CT South Africa. He added: …

In the wake of Coinbase unveiling the US’s first licensed Bitcoin exchange, across the water in the UK, another operation is adopting a different, but no less official, approach. Digital Securities Exchange, or DSX, is launching the country’s first trading platform to employ an accredited third party processor to run all its transactions. It has partnered with ePayments Systems Ltd, which is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). “DSX has chosen to take an alternative approach by drawing parallels between e-money as an established and regulated product and digital currency,” the company stated in a press release issued …

A proposed UK bill could end anonymity in Bitcoin transactions by logging of all content accessed via UK ISPs. This will leave only services such as DarkWallet as truly anonymous options, placing them firmly in the sights of UK lawmakers seeking “the legal power to break into the encrypted communications of suspected terrorists.” Speaking in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks at the Charlie Hebdo offices and a kosher supermarket, UK Prime Minister David Cameron has called for further powers to assist the police and intelligence services to track and monitor online and mobile communications in the UK. This …

Nearly 200 entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, private sector representatives and governmental officials were convened last week for the Crypto Valley Summit 2014 in the Isle of Man to share their points of views on numerous topics involving digital currencies and discuss the opportunities and challenges that is facing the industry. The two-day event took place on the island from September 17 to 18 and gathered leading industry entrepreneurs from all over the world including the Founders of GoCoin, Steve Beauregard and Brock Pierce, the CEO of Counting House, Paul Davis, the CEO of Instabil, Jason Field, and the CEO of BankToTheFuture, Simon …

UK Bitcoin and gold exchange Netagio has confirmed its successful ISAE 3000 audit, becoming the first Bitcoin entity in the industry to achieve the distinction. The audit, which was conducted May 26 by professional services firm BDO LLP, means that Netagio is officially in compliance with standards set out by International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) “to ensure the quality of assurance work, including report verification as well as assurance on corporate governance, internal compliance, and other areas central to corporate responsibility,” a statement released today reads. The only UK registered exchange offering trading in Bitcoin, gold and GBP, …